Open Source Microfactory Startup Camp Planning

About

• 3 weeks of Startup Weekend at Factor e Farm
• Invite leading open sourcerer supercooperator entrepreneurs
• Release one or 2 main products, and possibly smaller products, depending on the number of people who show up.
• Build website and marketing materials during the camp
• Similar to Startup Weekend, except we come to the event with prepared product ideas
• Features and Extreme Build workshop at the end: CNC torch table, D3D Universal, and D3D Pro.
• Public participation in format of a 3 week Apprenticeship with the Stars - including cast of Michel, Chris, Colby, Pragnya, Cesar, et al
• Event is funded via revenue from Apprentices and Extreme Build

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Are you entrepreneurial, and do you want to build the circular economy? Then join us in our first ever Open Source Microfactory Startup Camp. We've been working on the open source fab lab for years, and to date have developed 3D printers, CNC Circuit mill, a CNC torch table, among others. Our focus is distributed, open source production. In the 3 week Startup camp, we'll be putting the final touches on and productizing 3 machines. First - We plan on releasing a 3-in-1 CNC machine for education - consisting of a 3D printer, circuit plotter, and small milling machine. Second - we plan on releasing the world's first open source 3D printer with a high temperature (178 C continuous) heated build chamber. And third, we plan on releasing the world's first open source CNC torch table capable of cutting up to 6" thick steel.

What do we mean by productizing? We mean publishing key assets such as the designs, build instructions, instructional videos, and bills of materials. We also mean publishing the the supporting enterprise assets such as the production engineering, quality control procedures, marketing assets, distribution and sales strategies, and distribution channels. Simply put: all the assets that enable the entrepreneur to put a Buy Button on their website, and to deliver the product with verified quality control. We believe in growing the pie for everyone - so anyone can make a living using our freely downloadable plans. We will also offer certification in the future - for producers who would like to produce to Open Source Ecology standards.

So who is this for? If you would like to start a business producing open source machines in your local communities - you will get a deep dive into the design, build, and enterprise insights. You will join a community of dedicated open sourcerers - who are convinced that the next economy is the open source economy. So join us, and help us bring yet another Christmas Gift to the World.

The difference between our machines and anything else in the world is that our machines are easy to build from easy-to-source parts - being capable of industrial productivity on a small scale - and designed for a lifetime.

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We're glad to invite you to our first ever Open Source Microfactory Startup Camp.

For years we've been working on the open source fab lab, and have build 3D printers, circuit mills, and cnc torch tables, and more.

The Startup Camp is a 3 week immersion where we collaborate on the product release of the 3D printer and CNC torch table - and develop business models around these - including kits and build workshops. We invite entrepreneurs who are interested in the circular economy - and be immersed in the 3 weeks - for an immersion experience.

In the first week, we will build, document, and create a kit for the 3D printer. This 3D printer is actually a 3-in-1 Univesal CNC machine with quick-connect toolheads - for 3d printing, circuit plotting, and cnc milling.

In the second week, we will build an industrial grade CNC torch table capable of cutting up to 6" steel. We will document the build, and develop a product that we will offer as a kit, for sale.

In the third week, we will focus on the enterprise aspects: production engineering, quality control, product strategy, marketing and distribution, business plans - essentially all the assets that one would need to start a small business producing machines or products that these machines can make. So if you would like to start a small business, this experience is a deep dive exactly into that.

3 week is a crash course, so how much you get out of it depends on your existing skill set. But we are inviting both novices and experts. Novices can learn the build techniques, while experts can learn more about how to design and modify these machines. But by putting all skill levels together, we aim to create a fertile open source product development skunkworks - where enterprise creation is the explicit goal. We think that we can change the world - not through technology - but through access to knowhow - to open source technology.

Now Open Source Hardware is still in its early days. Most people still do not see that the future of the economy is open. That's why we do what we do -and every product built builds upon the last to get us a step closer - such that distribution of wealth becomes the new economic norm. So join us, in bringing our next Christmas Gift to the World.

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Revenue Models

• Product Page - embeddable HTML Buy Button
• Presence on Kits.com - side revenue from off-the-shelf parts
• Integrate Amazon without using Fulfilled By Amazon - [1]
• Using Amazon with Fulfilled by Amazon
• Developing Sales funnel: free eBook on the Open Source Microfactory + community (Forum, Askbot, RFP Chunkworks -> Dev Kit product -> downsell to parts kits + instructions -> upsell to Apprenticeships and Extreme Manufacturing workshops, and Open Source Microfactory Startup Camps.